ARB's & Control Arm questions

[jonytek]

Guys I'm starting to think that the next upgrade I need to do is going to be handling related and have a few questions. I recently went for bags and have lost a lot of the handling that the DRC gave me and now find the car has far more roll and almost feels like it's floating at times and I find myself loosing confidence with throwing it into corners like I could.

ARB's - Hotchkis vs H&R. From what I understand the H&R's are firmer but not necessarily providing better handling, is this correct. Who's running what?

Control arms - Meyle vs Lemforder. MRC did tell me that some of the bushes were starting to crack so thought i'd look into this. I need some advice here as I'm really not sure what I should be looking at upper, lower etc etc.

I do know that upgrading the ARB's from SS+ will give me better handling reducing roll but will I also see a difference from doing the control arms?

Cheers.

[Ozzyz]

I'm in the process of doing the same things Jony, also getting all new discs and pads all round.

I've been looking at the H&R ARB's front and rear. They seem to have good feedback from all the guys here that have them fitted. Also looking into powerflex bushes too.

With regards to control arms as we are running a very low drive height I think the 034 adjustable front control arms may be the way to go as it will elimate any potential uneven tyre wear. Would like to hear more thoughts on this as I know not everyone that's lowered has them fitted.

[jonytek]

I did read mixed responses on the h&r bars on one of the fb groups. I seem to recall someone saying that they were too thick which left the car with a lot of understeer. I'm sure that with the bags being softer this would not be valid and seem like a good choice. Ozzy what's the advantage of the power flex bushes?

Are new arms going to offer anything more than the ability to adjust camber at the lower drive height?

[pule333]

Maybe try eibach? I have them on and the bugger handles goooood

[marc1]

Jony, Give Revolution a ring for ARB's. Don't forgot to tell them you're a forum member and they should be able to do you a good price. I note there is a 2 week lead time from H&R currently.

The part number is 33250-2 for the front and rear kit. Thickness are 32mm front, 24mm rear bars and both are adjustable. H&R actually do another kit for the RS4 with a 22mm rear (which is the same thickness as the OEM SS+ bar) hence the above mentioned kit is the one to go for.

Hotchkis are a great brand too. Their front bar is not adjustable, only the rear. They are thicker than H&R due to their hollow aluminium construction. The rear bar is 29mm IIRC.

Honestly, I don't think there is much in it, even if you throw in Eibach (same diameter as H&R) or 034 (26mm rear bar only) into the mix.

I've heard of Hotchkiss users snapping rear drop links (but then this also happened on the B5, but they were made of plastic for some reason).

Arms... not heard great stories about 034 longevity, but if you need the adjustment, there aren't many options.

For OEM style: Meyle come with a 4 year warranty. Lemforder is the OE supplier. I've used Meyle in the past without a problem, but I have heard of people claiming against that warranty.

Speak to Jason at AllGermanParts and he will sort you out. You really need to get it assessed to see what is worn or will wear soon. It's all perishable. The full front kit is around £470 for Lemforder.

If there is play in the existing bushes, it will contribute to bad handling.

Get a decent geo set up at somewhere like Centre of Gravity too. They will dial the car in as best as they can. They can also offer a lot of advice on parts, etc.

[jonytek]

Thanks Marc that's great advice. I think I will try and switch the ARB's first as it's mainly the roll that is getting to me. I'll give Revolution a call today.

Another option I need to consider is getting my Bilstein struts send back to be reconfigured. As they are the first set they have done for the B7 they are happy to adjust them to get them right. How much work is it going to be to get the struts off?

[jonytek]

Ive just spoken to Revolution and they have recommended I try and get Bilstein to adjust the strut before upgrading roll bars and the H&R kits are only a mil or two thicker than SS+.

[marc1]

They are 2mm thicker, but that equates to something silly like 80% stiffer (or more) before you take adjustment in to it.

Get your name down for some. It's a two week lead time, I reckon you'll want them anyway.

Think of it like this. The stock ARB's work in parrellel with the DRC, doing most of the work to keep it relatively flat. Take the DRC away and it's effectively the same as an A4 on coilovers, albeit with a slightly wider track. That's it.

To put the rear ARB thickness into perspective:

A4 SE = 16mm
A4 Sport / Sline = 18mm
S4/RS4 = 20mm
RS4 SS+ = 22mm

The front is 30mm on all of the above. Both B6 and B7.

[marc1]

To add to the above, loads of A4 / S4 owners add the RS4 SS+ bar which makes a massive improvement over stock, but they all still roll. The H&R bars on that platform make a bigger difference.

[irn_bru_ce]

The 034 Motorsport rear ARB is 25.4mm , I got that, along with the ball joint rear drop links, and the front upper adjustable control arms. currently got the rear ARB on the soft setting, but will try it on the stiffer setting soon, also got KWv3 fitted at the same time, so got to try stuff with them also, so far pleased, just got to experiment

[MikeFish]

Jony, as Marc mentioned if your existing arms (the rubbers) have worn or perished then your handling will be a bit floaty and vague. So replacing them will fee like an upgrade. I replaced an fairly new set or arms with the 034 arms and there was a big improvement. I assume this was down to the fact that I could dial in the correct camber again rather than the superiority of the arms.
But, here is something no-one had mentioned when I looked at which arms to buy; There are 2 main adjustable arms for the B7 RS4 (and A4/S4). 034 and Stern. I went for the 034 as they seems to have good reviews. However, once fitted you can't adjust them. If you need to adjust you have to pop one end off, turn it, and reconnect, check camber, then repeat until you have the camber set right. This can be quite a pain / time consuming. The Stern ones have an adjuster thread built into the middle of the arm so they look like they can be adjusted in situ.

[jonytek]

Thanks guys. I've had someone else respond on FB who has also said that it will make a big difference, he's on air also. It looks like I'll be upgrading here. Will definitely report back as there's a few others interested in this also.

[marc1]

Group buy on H&R ARB's Revolution?

[Revolution]

Hi all, if this is going along the lines of a group buy how many do we actually have interested?

I am sure we can do something good if we get the numbers - pm if you are and in meantime I will work out some prices .

Speak soon all

CheeRS

Lil Glen

[jonytek]

Hi all, if this is going along the lines of a group buy how many do we actually have interested?

I am sure we can do something good if we get the numbers - pm if you are and in meantime I will work out some prices .

Speak soon all

CheeRS

Lil Glen

Let us know Glen and I can look into organising. These group buys usually flop when it comes time to cough up the dosh but we can give it a shot.... I'd say honestly we would aim for 5.